Are Ursacks worth it?
An Ursack is a big improvement over a traditional bear-bag hang because many, if not most backpackers and campers, do such a poor job hanging their food bags so an animal can’t bring it down. Once down, it’s easy for an animal to rip open a stuff sack, eat, or foul all the food inside.
What is Ursack made of?
Made out of UHMWP — also known as Spectra or in Grady’s words “a really, really strong fabric” — Ursack is a soft-side, bear-resistant food storage bag that’s been certified by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC).
What is a bear sack?
A bear hang is an improvised system of cord, sacks, or bags, and sometimes carabiners and pulleys, used to suspend food in a tree, primarily to protect it from black bears as well as from rodents (especially in high-use campsites) and grizzly bears (in select areas only).
Does the Ursack work?
Ursack still does a pretty good job of keeping the food away from bears. But the bear might get a taste for food as it slobbers on the bag, especially if it punctures a pouch of tuna or something else liquid and the food leaks out.
Are Ursacks allowed on Appalachian Trail?
Most hikers choose to simply walk through this section and spend their night just north or just south of it, to avoid this restriction. This means that the Ursack is allowed (and often encouraged) on 99.9% of the Trail.
Can rodents chew through Ursack?
Technically, the answer to that is “ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWP),” the material from which the Ursack Major is woven. It’s designed to be hard for bears to claw or bite through, but the small sharp teeth of mice and other critters can pierce the weave and make headway.
Is Ursack approved for JMT?
Yes, Ursacks are allowed along the rest of the JMT, with the exceptions of: YNP, the extended Rae Lakes region, and the area around Whitney.
What size is Ursack?
The Major comes in a standard, 650 cubic inch model that holds about 5 days of food for one person and weighs 7.6 ounces, while the larger Ursack Major XL holds 925 cubic inches of storage at 8.8 ounces.
Do Opsak bags work?
On its own, an Opsak is an inadequate method of overnight food protection. It’s best considered an enhancement to a more reliable method. Specifically, an Opsak can be used to line an Ursack Major or Ursack Minor to make it less detectable or less interesting to a bear or rodent.
Should I bring a bear canister on the Appalachian Trail?
Because of the bear hang’s frequent failures along the A.T., the Appalachian Trail Conservancy highly recommends that hikers use bear canisters as their form of food storage. A bear canister is one of the most foolproof methods of food storage.
Do thru hikers use bear canisters?
On the Pacific Crest Trail, thru-hikers must carry bear canisters in Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite, and Lassen Volcanic national parks.
Are bear canisters worth it?
If you’re backpacking overnight in an area where bears are known to inhabit, you definitely should consider using a bear canister to store your food. Using a bear container is the simplest and most effective way to prevent bears from accessing your food.
Are Ursacks allowed in national parks?
This means Ursack Major, Major XL, and the AllMitey are approved for bear-resistant food storage in the respective national parks.
Can you waterproof a Ursack?
Are Ursacks waterproof? Ursacks are not waterproof! It definitely won’t hurt the Ursack at all to get wet or rained on, but you’ll want to keep your food and trash in some other Ziploc bags or a waterproof stuff sack inside the Ursack.
Are Ursacks allowed in Yosemite?
Note that in Yosemite you can’t use an Ursack, a soft bag made of an extremely tough fabric impenetrable to prying bears that came out a few years ago. They’ve done well in tests with real bears, but most national parks still bar them from use because the results are not sufficiently conclusive.
Can bears smell through odor proof bags?
Bears can smell through most bags, even the best smell-proof bags on the market. Their sense of smell is powerful, so even the best smell-proof bags aren’t sufficient to stop bears from sensing food odor molecules.
Is an Ursack odor proof?
This 12 X 20 sealable plastic bag is made from a special film that is 17,000 times more odor-resistant than HDPE. When used properly, the OPSak is 100% water and air tight.